DURHAM -- An internal investigation has found that a former Durham police officer accused of beating a woman during an arrest at a party last year used excessive force.

Cpl. B.D. Schnee resigned from the Police Department on Jan. 18 amid mounting public protests by supporters of Stephanie Nickerson, the Chapel Hill woman who said he beat her during the Oct. 28 incident.

In a news release Wednesday, the department announced it found Schnee used "more force than was necessary" but insufficient evidence to prove Nickerson's claim she was arrested without cause.

"The Durham Police Department has taken, and continues to take, any allegations of misconduct seriously, and works deliberately to ensure that all complaints are thoroughly investigated, and appropriate action is taken when needed," the release said.

"Although Schnee resigned in January, the department continued its investigation, interviewing as many witnesses as possible to look into these very serious allegations," it continued. "An investigation of this nature takes time to do right, but is necessary to ensure confidence -- to the public and within the Police Department -- that each and every claim is thoroughly reviewed. Unfortunately, complexities related to contacting, scheduling and interviewing the many witnesses involved contributed to delays in completing this investigation as soon as we would have liked.

Charges already dropped

Charges of resisting arrest and assault on an officer against Nickerson, a Navy veteran who filed a police brutality complaint, were dropped in January, according to attorney Daryl Atkinson of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

But Nickerson and her lawyers only learned of the development after a group rallied for her in near-freezing temperatures on the courthouse steps. She had been due in court later that day.

Atkinson said then that he and Nickerson's other attorney, Geeta Kapur, would discuss next steps. Efforts to reach them for comment after Wednesday's announcement were unsuccessful.

Schnee responded to a noise complaint Oct. 28 at an outdoor party. According to Nickerson supporters, Nickerson told the hostess she did not have to let officers in the house because they did not have a warrant.

That's when Schnee allegedly threw Nickerson to the ground and started punching her in the face.

The January rally was organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and SpiritHouse, a Durham-based nonprofit that fights inequality.

Roland Staton, first vice president of the Durham branch of the NAACP, said Nickerson was jailed overnight with no medical attention despite her swollen and bruised face.

"She was simply standing up for her and her friends' Fourth Amendment rights," Staton said.

Nickerson has not spoken publicly since the arrest.

In a statement by Nickerson that Staton read at the rally, she said she was overcome by fear and hopelessness that night.

"I felt broken and I didn't have the first clue how to put myself back together again," the statement read.